No comments about Tampa Bay's Gulf Beaches (FL) (Images of America).

No comments about St. Petersburg & Clearwater Pinellas County Street Atlas (American Map).

1 comments about The Nature of Florida, 2nd: An Introduction to Familiar Plants and Animals and Natural Attractions (Field Guides - Waterford Press).

1. I was surprised to see that various plants and animals that are all over central FL are missing - a good example is the Quaker parrot. There were a few other animals I was interested in finding since they are omnipresent, but they were not in the book. It's OK as a '2nd source' and the drawings are of reasonable quality.

No comments about MapQuest Orlando, Fl: City Map (Z-Map).

No comments about Florida Sights and Scenes of Key West and The Florida Keys (Florida, Sights and Scenes of).

1 comments about Historic Photos of Florida Tourist Attractions (Historic Photos.).

1. Long before Disney World, Florida was the home of the tourist attraction. It was a state that worked hard to draw visitors and, as it grew in population, give its new residents novel things worth driving to see. This book is full of these wonderful venues, most of which are long gone from our modern and far more homogenized world.
   
   Steve Rajtar brings a similar experience to editing this book. He grew up around Cleveland, Ohio, but came to Florida to get multiple college degrees and the place grew on him, so he stayed. He has laid out 150 historical tour routes so you can drive through Florida and see the cool, the strange, the odd, natural wonders, and historic places. Rajtar had written 13 books before this one. I enjoyed his selection of photos, his captions for them, and his concise chapter introductions.
   
   This book isn't divided in to chapters based on time periods. Instead, the photos are organized by county with as few as one photo for Citrus County, for example, while there are more than 20 for Miami-Dade as you might expect. While there are many based on `mermaids', dolphins, alligators, water-skiing, there is also a wide range of the unexpected such as Pioneer City with its old west theme. There are snake shows and natural caverns with amazing stalactites and stalagmites. You can see attractions based on sea shells, strange plants, trees, and sunken treasure. The attractions based on genuine historical item and Indian culture is set cheek by jowl with Tiki Gardens and Webb's City the `world's most unusual drug store' where you could see all kinds of strange acts including tight rope walking roosters.
   
   While the book is clearly based on Florida attractions it speaks to a period in American culture where these oddities seemed to make sense and were attractive to millions of our fellow citizens.
   
   Great stuff.
   
   Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

3 comments about Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Without Kids 2005: Expert Advice for Fun-Loving Adults (Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Without Kids).

1. When preparing for a Disney Vacation, the Internet can be useful but you really need to buy this book and TAKE this book.
   
   Although the coupons are of questionable value, the information is clear, well-presented, and well organized. Just avoiding the busy times made life so much better.
   
   It was so very helpful when we got caught in rain (we went to Epcot- GOOD ADVICE)
   
   It was just as good when the rain began the next day (went to Disney Quest - GREAT ADVICE)
   
   Between this and http://allearsnet.com we saved a bunch of money, got the right resort, and had a ton of fun.
   
   Great book - don't leave home without it.



2. This is the best guide book I've found, bar none. Not only is it informative but with the pictures, maps and helpful tips it is interesting and insightful. I've used it for two previous trips (one all-girls week and one with my husband) and can only say carry it with you at all times. It's well organized for quick-reference and helps when you have an unexpected change of plans--like those mid-summer afternoon showers that tend to pop up in Florida.



3. I love, love, love it! Did I say I love it???
   
   This is a great book for those going to WDW without kids. It gives great info without all the "kid-friendly" stuff that we don't need. It might even be a good book for parents who plan on spending some time away form their older kids at WDW.
   
   It's mostly a sized-down, more focused version of the Official Guide by Birnbaum, but definitely worth the money.
   
   The pictures alone are worth the price. I love it!!!

1 comments about Okeechobee--A Modern Frontier.

1. I know, I know! Disney draws us to Florida, but if you come and go without paying a visit to the awesome "liquid heart of Florida," you will miss something more enduring and exquisite than anything Disney ever imagined or man ever built.

   Since the beginning of time, the haunting beauty of Lake Okeechobee has attracted Indians, European explorers, fugitives, millionaire industrialists, and wanderers--like the author of this small book of charming essays and exquisite black and white photographs of the fascinating people who live on the shores of Okeechobee.

   The author\photog, Jim Janosky, is a former environmental education specialist with the U.S. Army at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. He's also a poet, farmer, photographer, and a Nashville songwriter who has written for Kathy Mattea (The Cape) and Jeff Carson (Real Life).

   Jim says, "The lake lies quietly, almost invisible, behind an earthen dike. Maura and I discovered that if you keep silent as you drive around the massive body of water, you can feel its subtle presence . . . I can't explain its magnetism, but if you go to Port Mayaca around sunset and sit quietly on the dike, you'll feel it . . . and you'll go back."

   Listen! Go to Disney World. Laugh your heads off! Then to experience a real touch of wonder, go to Lake Okeechobee with this guidebook in your lap.

No comments about Naples, Florida: A Photographic Portrait.

No comments about A Guide to Historic Lakeland, Florida.